Think You Know John McCain?

His evangelical supporters are scary

Sen. Barack Obama’s connection
to Rev. Jeremiah Wright has dominated the political conversation in
recent weeks. But that has blotted out information about Republican
nominee John McCain’s support from religious leaders who also hold
controversial views.

Take John Hagee, a televangelist from
Texas who has called the Roman Catholic Church “the Great Whore” and a
“false cult.” He has said that Adolf Hitler learned his anti-Semitism
from the Catholic Church, and both conspired to exterminate Jews.

McCain
not only accepted Hagee’s endorsement, but actively sought it out, even
though Hagee has been a longtime critic of Catholics, a group of voters
McCain would love to win over. “I’m very honored by Pastor John Hagee’s
endorsement today,” McCain said in triumph.

McCain has tried
to distance himself from some of Hagee’s statements, but he has
rebuffed criticism of Hagee by saying that the minister is a strong
supporter of Israel. But here’s what Hagee said about diplomatic talks
with Israel that could lead to a two-state solution in Israel and
Palestine, policy that most Arabs and Israelis support:

“I want those
of you in the State Department and in government in Washington to hear
this: If America does not stop pressuring Israel to give up land,
believe that God will bring this nation into judgment. Because I
believe what this book says,” Hagee said, holding up a Bible during a
televised sermon.

“If God brings this nation to judgment, is
very likely he will release the terrorists that you’ve already let get
here through the ridiculous immigration policy you refuse to stop and
this nation is going go through a blood bath that you have permitted
because of what you have done.”

Not satisfied with Hagee’s
endorsement, in March McCain secured the support of Ohio-based
Pentecostal televangelist Rod Parsley, who believes that the United
States has a “historical conflict with Islam” and believes that
Christians have “no choice” but to confront Muslims. Parsley
wrote that “America was founded, part, with the intention of seeing
this false religion [Islam] destroyed.”

Parsley has also called for
prosecuting people who commit adultery and has compared Planned Parenthood to Nazis.

Most likely, McCain’s embrace of Hagee and Parsley is a
bald political stunt meant to garner more support from rightwing
evangelicals who distrust him. Back in 2000—when McCain was a
straight-talking outsider running against establishment favorite
then-Gov. George W. Bush—McCain bashed televangelists Jerry Falwell and
Pat Robertson as “agents of intolerance.”

He certainly had
reason to denounce them. The late Falwell had criticized gays, fellow
minister Billy Graham (“the chief servant of Satan in America”),
feminists, those who are concerned about global warming, anti-war
protesters and Teletubbies.

Robertson has compared the
Democratic Congress, “liberal-based media” and gays to Nazis. He said
that feminism “encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their
children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.”
He also called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez.

Most notoriously, on Sept. 13, 2001, Falwell and
Robertson agreed that God allowed the 9/11 attacks to happen and blamed
feminists, gays, the ACLU, the federal court system and people who
believe in the separation of church and state.

While McCain openly
criticized these ministers in 2000, six years later McCain spoke at
Falwell’s ultra-conservative Liberty University—an institution McCain
once denounced—to garner the televangelist’s blessing.

Robertson
seems not to have forgiven McCain’s bashing and endorsed prochoice Rudy
Giuliani during the Republican primaries. Robertson—a man not known for
his moderate views—told Fox News Radio that McCain was too hotheaded to
be president.

He explained: “You’ve got a guy who’s commander
in chief, who’s got his hand on the red button—I just don’t know. I
wouldn’t like to be in World War III. I just have the feeling that he
wants to show how macho he is and we might just get ourselves involved
in something we don’t want.”

Poll

A Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission panel upheld the firing of former Milwaukee Police officer Christopher Manney for violating department rules last April when he encountered Dontre Hamilton before fatally shooting him. Do you agree with the commission’s decision?